Molecular, polymeric and nanostructured materials for optoelectronics

该研究计划旨在开发用于光电子学的新型分子和聚合物材料，重点是高效显示和照明技术。人工照明目前占全球电力消耗的19%，预计到2030年将增加80%，除非节能照明的实施得到大幅改善。基于有机发光二极管（OLED）的固态照明是一种有前途的技术，有可能解决这些问题，但OLED照明面板的高成本和短寿命仍然是在消费照明中采用这项技术的重大障碍。该提案包括三个主要研究主题：1）用于固态照明的发光化合物的合成; 2）用于电子器件的功能刷聚合物的合成;以及3）聚合物自组装成分层纳米结构材料。其中第一个主题将侧重于通过开发具有更长寿命和更高效率的新材料来改进下一代OLED显示器。虽然OLED技术现在广泛应用于小型消费设备，如手机和相机，但显示器内部发光化合物的寿命对于消费照明的使用还不令人满意，其中设备通常一次持续数小时。我们的研究将寻求这项技术的有针对性的改进，长期目标是使消费者OLED照明成为现实。第二个研究主题旨在解决OLED照明面板制造成本高的问题，这仍然是OLED照明广泛采用的主要障碍。我们将寻求为这些下一代显示器开发新的聚合物材料和加工技术。我们的长期目标是降低OLED制造成本，使这项技术与传统荧光照明相比具有成本竞争力，从而可以从住宅和商业能源使用中实现大量节省。** 随着这些方法的建立，我们将把这种化学扩展到我们的第三个研究主题，其目的是从新创建的聚合物材料中制造纳米级的复杂电子结构。这些基础研究将研究电子学和纳米技术的界面问题，例如通过低成本溶液相工艺制造高分子导线和二极管状结构。这种结构在电子，纳米医学和环境传感等不同领域具有潜在的应用，我们的研究将寻求更好地了解如何制造和控制这些纳米结构。

This research program is directed towards the development of new molecular and polymeric materials for use in optoelectronics, with a focus on efficient display and lighting technology. Artificial lighting currently accounts for 19% of global electricity consumption and is forecast to increase by 80% by 2030 unless the implementation of energy-efficient lighting substantially improves. Solid-state lighting based on organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) is a promising technology with the potential to address these concerns, yet the high cost and short lifetimes of OLED lighting panels remain significant barriers to the adoption of this technology in consumer lighting.******This proposal consists of three main research themes: 1) the synthesis of luminescent compounds for solid-state lighting; 2) the synthesis of functional brush polymers for electronic devices, and 3) the self-assembly of polymers into hierarchical nanostructured materials.******The first of these themes will focus on improving next-generation OLED displays by developing new materials with improved lifetimes and efficiencies. While OLED technology is now widespread in small consumer devices such as cellular phones and cameras, the lifetimes of the luminescent compounds inside the displays are not yet satisfactory for use in consumer lighting, where devices are normally left on for hours at a time. Our research will seek targeted improvements in this technology with the long-term goal of making consumer OLED lighting a reality.******The second research theme aims to address the high cost of fabrication of OLED lighting panels, which remains the main obstacle to the widespread adoption of OLED lighting. We will seek to develop both new polymeric materials and processing techniques for these next-generation displays. Our long-term goal is to bring OLED fabrication costs down in order to make this technology cost-competitive with traditional fluorescent lighting, such that substantial savings may be realized from both residential and commercial energy use. ******With these methods established, we will extend this chemistry to our third research theme, which aims to fabricate complex electronic structures on the nanoscale from newly created polymeric materials. These fundamental studies will examine problems at the interface of electronics and nanotechnology, such as the fabrication of macromolecular wires and diode-like structures by low-cost solution-phase processes. Such structures have potential applications in diverse fields such as electronics, nanomedicine, and environmental sensing, and our studies will seek to better understand how these nanostructures can be fabricated and controlled.